The Temple Magi
“''Be ever frugal with the employment of your gift young Magi for there is no such law in this universe as something for nothing, with every use of your power it will exact a toll from you''.” -Eperius Folon, Headmaster of the College of Magi, 17DE Magic is a rare and wondrous thing in Eelia, a power given by the gods that is both respected, and feared. Knowing that magic is powerful and potentially dangerous, the Holy Pantheon Order is given complete control over every aspect of a mage’s life and practice. The rarity in which magic exists in Eelia is quite severe, generally mages only come from a few specific bloodlines, the most powerful and prominent being the Salian bloodline of Urbania. In an Empire of nearly two hundred million people there are just over one thousand mages known to currently exist. There are only two spheres of magic found in Eelia, and only two types of magi. 'Temple Magi' Temple Magi are the legal mages in the Empire. They are trained at the Magi Tower located on Myst Island in the middle of Lake Cannae. They live out their days and apply their skills and talents at the direction of the Temple and are closely monitored and guarded by the Pantheon Paladins, a sect of the Pantheon Knight Order . They are well treated and well cared for, their every need catered to, however they are not free. They must have permission from the Temple in order to leave the Tower, to cast their spells or to study their craft or to even marry and procreate. Admission to the Tower is not optional or voluntary in Eelia, any child who displays magical abilities is immediately taken by the local priesthood and sent to the Tower to begin their life as a Temple Mage. After years of studying the need for balance in the Temple's Doctrine , the Temple Magi are understanding of their position. 'Apostate Mages' Also known as witches and warlocks, the apostate mage is anyone with any ability in magic whatsoever who is not a member of the Temple Magi. Within the Empire there are severe penalties for such a person to even exist. If the individual has never been taken to the Tower they are given the option to join the Temple Magi, if they have once been at the Tower and have chosen to flee, or if they choose not to attend the Tower the individual is immediately sentenced to death. The only exception to this rule is visiting dignitaries, though they are informed that the use of their magic will not be tolerated and that violation of the edict could be viewed as an insult to the Empire and possibly an act of war. 'Types of Magic' There are two disciplines of magic found in Eelia: Healing and Elemental. Healing Mages '''are far and away the most common, making up nearly ninety percent of the Temple Magi. These mages are more accepted by the common Eelian and can be found in most of the Temples, hospitals, military camps, noble houses and with traveling clerics. Healing Magi are only assigned monks or other clerics as escorts when they leave the Tower. '''Elemental Mages are far rarer, and far more tightly controlled. Elemental mages are split into five schools (in order from most commonly practiced to rarest): Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Electricity, and will train in that specific discipline. Elemental mages who are skilled in more than one form of elementalism are extremely ''rare with many generations between occurrences and historically have all come from the Salian Family of Urbania. Elemental Magi have less freedom than their healer counterparts and always have a Pantheon Knight guard. 'The Inquisitors' The Temple Magi Inquisitors is a small organization of Temple Magi uniquely gifted to sense the presence of magic in others and are tasked with identifying mages, recruiting them into the Tower or assisting with the Temple Paladins in their task of hunting down and killing apostates. The Inquisitors are the most exclusive group of mages as there are only a total of thirteen including the High Inquisitor, three Master inquisitors and three apprentice inquisitors. All other who show talent to be an inquisitor train to be so, but tend to their regular duties within their specific colleges. The rank of an inquisitor is no reflection of their power or skill, all inquisitors are powerful, high ranking mages in their own right. 'Ranks of Magi' Regardless of discipline the ranks of the magi are: '''Initiate': Those who first arrive at the Tower are given the rank of Initiate and will hold the rank through the first portion of their schooling, usually eight to ten years. Novice: Novice Mages are in the second half of their training, a period of three to five years. Apprentice: Apprentice Mages have graduated from their training cycle and now serve under a Master. This period can last as long as their Master sees fit. Associate: Upon being released by a Master, mages assume the title associate. This does not mean an end to their study or training as that never ends, but it does mark the end of their required structured training and tutelage. Journeyman: Journeyman mages are those who have proven their skill and judgment in their craft and have proven themselves trustworthy. Master: The Master rank is the highest rank that a mage can achieve. Masters will serve as leaders of their craft and can be found in teaching and leadership roles. Grandmaster: The Grandmasters are not really a rank but a position. The Grandmaster is still a Master in the rank system of the Order, but they are given specific positional authority over the Magi. There are five Grandmasters at any given time. Grandmaster of the Healing Discipline: The leader of the school of Healing and all Healing Mages. This person will live at the Tower. Grandmaster of the Elemental Discipline: The leader of the school of Elementalism and all Elemental Mages. This person will live at the Tower. Legion Grandmaster: An advisory position and given charge of all mages attached to the Military. This person will live at Fort Leondum. Imperial Grandmaster: An advisory position and given charge of all mages attached to Civil Projects. This person will live at the Imperial City in Vitalia. Temple Grandmaster: An advisory position and given charge of all mages attached to Temples. This person will live at the Imperial Temple in Vitalia. Leadership of the entire Order fall to the Governing Board of the Temple Magi. No Magi are seated on the board, instead it is populated with High Priests and high ranking members of the Paladin Order. The Board meets at the Imperial Temple in Vitalia